The Youth of Alekhine

The twentieth century was the Russian century in chess. It lasted for 80 years — from 1927, when Alekhine won the world championship title by taking it from Capablanca, until 2008, when Kramnik lost it in a match to the Indian grandmaster Anand.

Today, we begin the story of Alexander Alekhine — of his youth, filled with dramatic events and remarkable sporting achievements.
Alekhine was born in 1892 in Moscow into a wealthy noble family. His father owned ancestral estates, served in the government, and was involved in business... From an early age, Sasha Alekhine developed a passion for chess and showed an extraordinary talent for the game. His first major sporting success came in 1910, when the 18-year-old Alekhine shared 6th–7th place at a major international tournament in Hamburg. But that was only the beginning.

In 1914, an international tournament was held in St. Petersburg, bringing together the entire chess elite. Alekhine took third place — right after Lasker, the reigning world champion, and Capablanca. According to the recollections of Romanovsky (Alekhine’s contemporary, who also became a well-known chess player) Alekhine told him at that time that he was beginning to prepare for a world championship match against Capablanca. When Romanovsky, surprised, pointed out that the world champion was Lasker, Alekhine confidently replied that Capablanca would soon replace Lasker (and indeed, that happened in 1921).

But then the war began. And when the guns speak, the muses (including Caïssa, the muse of chess) are silent. The war caught Alekhine in Germany, where he was playing in the Mannheim tournament and was leading the field. On August 2, the tournament was interrupted, and all its Russian participants were interned. Alekhine ended up in prison, sharing a cell with Bogoljubow, Rabinovich, and Weinstein.
Alekhine managed to secure his release by convincing the prison doctor that he was ill and unfit for military service. He made his way back to Petrograd only at the end of October, traveling through France, England, and Sweden.

In Russia (in Moscow, Odessa, and Kiev), he gave simultaneous exhibitions, with the proceeds going to aid wounded soldiers. In the summer of 1916, he volunteered for front-line service as a medical orderly. Alekhine personally carried the wounded from the battlefield and was awarded two St. George medals. He was later concussed and spent several weeks in a hospital.

To be continued next week.
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Chess enthusiasts can take a look at one of his very famous games, played at the Mannheim tournament. Alekhine was the first professional player to use the 6. h4! variation, which leads to a complex and sharp game. This move is now considered the strongest. His opponent in that game, Fahrni, offered little resistance (the move 9... Nf8 was already a mistake), but even with stronger continuations, it is not easy for Black to defend!

Masha and The Bear - Gone Fishing!

The Bear goes fishing. Masha appears and transforms a pleasant fishing trip into a nightmare. The Bear makes a fishing rod for Masha in order to entertain her and she immediately catches the Goldfish and makes three wonderful wishes.

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